The Best Of Us
by Your Other Favorite Author
Summary: Boys. Movies. Deciding which shirt goes with which skirt. She never thought that she would ever know what life before the outbreak was like. That was, until he came along. Sure, he wasn't what she was looking for - and she wasn't what he expected. But sometimes, things just happen. Sometimes, life, just happens. [Canon to One Night Live] Joel/Esther & Ellie/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first ever attempt at writing TLOU fanfiction.** **I will preface this chapter by saying that yes, this is a romance story, based around Ellie. This is not "Ellie X Joel". This is an "Ellie X OC" story. And while I'm sure this will be but one of perhaps hundreds of similar fics about the same basic premise, I hope that this story will stand out to you as one that doesn't draw on the cliche attributes and plots that seem forced and repetitive. I look forward to writing this story and any feedback is greatly appreciated.**

 **This story begins right after the "One Night Live" performance as cannon to the original story line of The Last Of Us. If you haven't looked that up, please do before reading this. Also, this story will have several musical numbers accompanying certain parts throughout, and I will incorporate when & where they will be. **

**Thank you and please enjoy!**

* * *

SUMMER

Chapter 1

Ellie sighed.

The guitar string hummed beneath her touch as she plucked the note, letting the sound resonate through the air. Her eyes traced the paint lines on the wall as it faded into silence, opening the door to her mind to thoughts. Her gaze wandered down the wall to the hardwood floor, trailing the lines between the wooden planks.

She found herself staring down at those same six, metal cords she had just learned to make music with moments ago, already growing bored with it. As much as she wanted to learn to play, she wanted even more to have Joel spend time with her. Or at least someone to be around. After all, she and Joel had only been living in Jackson a few weeks and settling into a new town where nobody knows your name or even who you are can leave anybody feeling lonely.

Especially at nighttime.

The unrelenting silence had her feeling more apathetic with each second. Eventually, she picked the guitar up by its neck and set it against the windowsill behind her, twisting a bit against the back of her wooden desk chair. Then turning back to her desk, she looked at her notebook, scribbled with doodles and words it had collected from her pencil throughout the weeks she had had it. Her desk lamp dimly lit the pages enough for her to see it against the cool glow from her window, signaling the come of a rapidly approaching summer night. Then reaching for a pencil, she continued her doodling where she had left off before Joel had interrupted her.

Just as she remembered that godawful joke he told her earlier, her lips cracked a smile.

"Pssh. Eating clocks…" she muttered to no one in particular, trying to suppress a light chuckle. As she did so, her thoughts turned to him.

This man, who was at one point just no more than a stranger to her, was now living with her, as some sort of father-like guardian. He had fought – just like her – to get where he is now. He promised to take care of her, and through just the course of one year, he had done that and then some. And now, here they were: starting new lives in this small town, aiming for that ever-moving target of a 'normal life.'

But what exactly is a normal life? Ellie wondered. Having no real point of reference, she only knew about the pre-apocalyptic world through books, relics, or one of Joel's countless stories. But even those couldn't give her enough of a vision of what being normal meant. Then again, maybe she wasn't so normal. In spite of everything, she was still the only one immune to the fungus that had wiped out most of humanity.

Her pencil stopped. That thought held her captive, immobilizing her with a strike of guilt. She momentarily closed her eyes, grappling with that thought that she was still the only one who could have stopped all of this. Her immunity was the key to fixing everything. It was what she and Joel had been fighting for all this time.

And it was all for nothing.

Ellie grunted under her breath, clenching her pencil in a fist. A fit of anger built inside her quickly, arising from that guilt in her stomach. It quickly led to her shoving the tip of her pencil into her notebook, just before she opened her eyes to see the lead tip break as it touched the paper, rendering the tool now useless.

"Oh fuck me," she whined, flipping the now broken pencil out of her hand. She sighed, deflated. Then looking out her window again, she could see that night was almost upon her. The slate clouds marbled the amethyst sky as the dim glow of the sun beyond the horizon gradually faded, just barely starting to show the faint dots of a few stars in the twilight.

Ellie sat there, taking in that moment, appreciating the beauty of it. She reached up to put her elbow on her desk, resting her jaw in her palm. Her eyes wandered down the tree lines, down to the houses and buildings that made up their makeshift town. It almost brought a smile to her face, before that was cancelled by a rather relentless yawn.

"Ugh, fuck it," she remarked getting up from her chair. Switching off her desk lamp, Ellie made her way to her dresser. Pulling out a drawer, she grabbed a pair of gym shorts and a tank top as her choice of bedtime wear. After changing, she made her way to her bed.

It was an old mattress – the kind of mattress one would expect to find after twenty years of dirt, decay, and overuse. A hole in the side showed off its age by the coil of a spring poking through, which would occasionally catch a belt loop or the hem of a shirt walking by. But Ellie didn't mind. It was better than sleeping on the floor, anyway.

Slipping into under the covers, her head fell into the firmness of the pillow beneath, leaving her to lie there on her back, staring up at the emptiness of the ceiling. The plain, grayish-white walls only served as a playground for her mind to wander, which she knew could be just as dangerous as any infected creature she had encountered in her lifetime. She knew it was dangerous because her thoughts could cripple her. And for some reason, they always seemed worse at night.

Letting out a heavy breath, Ellie turned over onto her side, bringing her arm up to slide it under the pillow beneath her head. Her eyes scanned the top of her night table, only finding her alarm clock and a Firefly pendant.

Riley's Firefly pendant.

Ellie's heart sank. She half-winced as her hand instinctively reached out for it, scooping it up in her fingers and bringing it close. Holding it in front of her, she read the numbers on it over and over, letting them burn a fierce memory into her mind that she could never forget. Her fingertips traced the edge of the coin, as if trying to feel the story behind every scratch or dent to be found. As she continued, Ellie felt a pressure grow in her chest and her breaths become irregular. And with the telltale sensation of a single tear sliding its way out of the corner of her eye, she found herself on the verge of crying. Trying her best to hold back, she quickly realized it was unstoppable, and eventually gave in.

She choked back a sob before bringing the pendant to her chest, clenching it in a white-knuckled fist. Her eyes squeezed shut, forcing dual streams of salty tears to drip down her cheeks as a few more sobs escaped her throat.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, crying out to Riley in vain. She opened her eyes just long enough to look down at her hand that clutched Riley's pendant. Her vision was blurred with the wetness of her tears, distorting the image in her mind and forcing her to clamp her eyes shut again.

"I'm sorry…" She whimpered again, opening her palm and bringing her hand to her chest again. She wrapped her other arm around it, pressing the pendant against her chest as hard as he could, as if trying to force it literally into her own heart. But this only served to create a sudden ache in her sternum, making Ellie squeak in pain and release her grip.

Holding the pendant to her chest still, she sucked back a few sniffles to stop her cries, knowing that whatever she was doing wasn't going to change anything or bring Riley back. Bringing the back of her wrist to her eyes, she wiped the corners of her eyes as best she could.

Eventually, her sniffles subsided and she buried her face into her pillow, still holding the pendant in a now loose fist. Nuzzling her face into the damp fabric, Ellie felt her puffy eyes and sinuses steadily return to normal, letting her finally reach that level of comfort needed to sleep.  
"I'm sorry," she mumbled under her breath. Her other hand snaked up to the first one, wrapping its fingers around the others' fist to hold the pendant tighter in its grasp. And with that, Ellie finally let herself drift off into sleep, knowing that the dawn couldn't come soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I apologize for those of you that have already read this chapter...but I've sort of re-written it. I have a bad habit of updating things _after_ I post them, so please don't hate me for that. Having said that, feel free to re-read any of the chapters as most of them have been changed to some degree. Nothing major - but just a few small details I noticed and found myself obsessing over. **

**I hope you enjoy the new(er) version(s).**

* * *

Joel grumbled at the brightness of the morning, cursing how early it seemed to come in the summertime. Its warmth was already making itself present on the kitchen tile. Sunbeams bathed the room, giving all the appliances and furniture in the light a warm, golden hue. A pot of stew on the stove simmered as he stirred it with a wooden ladle. The heated smell of meat and vegetables permeated the air, bringing a satisfied smirk across the creased lines of his face.

"Almost ready," he said to himself, staring down into the bubbling, brown liquid. Swirling the ladle through it again, he cleared his throat.

"El-lay!" He called out in his rugged, southern drawl, hoping his voice would reach the little girl upstairs.

"Yeah?" Came a delicate response from the kitchen doorway.

Joel blinked, quickly turning around to see that redheaded girl standing no more than ten feet behind him in the kitchen doorway.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, turning back to the stove, "Didn't hear ya git up."

Pulling the ladle from the pot, he reached for a pair of bowls on the counter near him.

"It's alright," she shrugged, heading towards the kitchen table.

Her tone was strangely monotonous and faded, but Joel figured that was simply the grogginess of an all-too-early dawn affecting her. Hell, she was still in her pajamas.

Pulling out a chair, she sat down at the small wooden table, awaiting her breakfast. She stared out the window across from her momentarily, watching the sunrays beam through the thickness of the pine trees just beyond the fortified wall of their town.

"Soup's on," Joel said, breaking her concentration. He approached the table with the two bowls in either hand.

"Smells good," Ellie quickly commented, snapping back to reality and reaching for her spoon.

"I reckon'," Joel replied, setting a bowl in front of her.

"It's the last o' that stew we made yesterday."

Without a verbal response, Ellie replied by digging into the mud-colored goop. Joel thought it a bit strange, seeing her so quiet this morning. After all, she had a bad habit of waking him up at the ass-crack of dawn before for no other reason than it being the start of a new day. But then again, Joel thought that maybe not having to fight to survive on a daily basis could be changing that.

"Sleep good?" He asked casually, sitting down and scooting his chair closer to the table.

"Mhm. You?" Ellie replied quickly without even glancing over at him. She just stared down into her dish as she began to eat.

"Eh, better'n I did in Boston." He shrugged.

He gave her a playful smile, but retracted it as it met her cold shoulder. He had thought that they were passed this kind of thing – her shutting him out and giving him that silence as though she were ignoring him. Last night he was so sure he got through to her. But he wasn't so sure anymore today. But he let the thought go, scooping up a mouthful of his breakfast.

That warm, slimy mixture of soft vegetables and rabbit meat instantly coated his taste buds, making him relish each bite. He wasn't a chef by any measure, but the taste was enough to make him take each bite carefully, as if trying to make it last just a little while longer. A few moments of silence passed between them, only the sounds of nature outside providing any sort of atmosphere against the occasional clank of spoon against dish as they ate.

That was, until, a sudden realization hit him.

"Oh – I forgot to tell ya yesterday." He words caught him mid-chew, which immediately caught Ellie's attention. He wasn't one to talk with his mouth full.

"I'm goin' with Tommy this morn' to do some repair work on the south wall a' town."

Ellie's eyes twinkled as she stared at him, as if waiting for there to be more in that statement.

"O-kay." She shrugged before swallowing a spoonful of stew.

"And you're, uh…gonna be workin' with Maria in the stables, I think."

Ellie gave a soft nod, downing another bite.

"I know." She replied as if the conversation was nothing more than small talk – a typical morning conversation that didn't really hold much value to her.

"Yeah. Well, uh… then, I'll be… I'll be goin' out tonight." He quickly slurped up another spoonful, looking down into his stew to avoid her stare that he knew was coming.

This time he could avoid her.

Ellie instantly raised a sharp brow at him. That hint of uneasiness in his voice coupled with his avoidance of her look was telling, making her wonder what could cause such a thing.

"Out where?"

She was demanding, but her tone sounded more inquisitive than anything.

"With Esther." He admitted quietly.

Ellie looked away, eyes momentarily scanning the surface of the table for a response.

"Well then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

Joel scoffed under his breath, half-smiling as he finally felt able to look at her again. That blank expression starting to show her resentment. He tried not to look her right in the eye, knowing all too well that she wasn't in favor of him leaving her by herself any more than he already had to.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure that out."

Ellie nearly laughed, hearing the familiarity in their exchange. She could hardly believe he deflected her question with that same, candid response.

"All-right then." She sighed heavily.

They finished their meals in what was essentially silence, both sensing the strangeness in the air between them now. Joel knew Ellie didn't like him leaving her – especially for some mystery woman she had never seen – but he knew he had to tell her. He knew she would be more upset if he had kept it a secret from her.

Slurping up the last drop of stew, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Setting the spoon in the now empty bowl, her eyes fixated on the brownish ring that had formed near the rim. Meals for her always seemed to go by too fast, always leaving her wanting more than what was given. But she knew she couldn't complain. At least she had food – and it was actually _cooked_.

"Well I think I'm gonna go get dressed." She said, standing up and heading for the kitchen doorway.

"Thanks for breakfast." She said, patting him on the shoulder.

Joel gave her a nod as he slurped up the final bite of his breakfast.

"Y'er welcome."

He collected their dishes, taking them to the sink. Hearing her bare footsteps on each stair going up, he hollered out to her.

"Meet out front 'n five!"

"Okay, boss!" Came her distant response.

He chuckled under his breath as he turned on the faucet, rinsing each dish. He briefly studied the flow of water as it touched his hand, taking for granted the flow of seemingly clear liquid from the tap.

They actually had running water.

It might have been from an underground well, but it was still clean, or at least, clean enough to bathe in. Hell, it was clean enough to swim in, if he ever actually got around to teaching Ellie that skill.

Joel pondered that thought as he turned off the faucet.

He _did_ say he would teach her. And as he dried off both bowls with a nearby towel, he thought that, if they ever got the time, he just might teach her before the summer ended.

Ellie slid the dark red t-shirt over her head, sliding her arms in and pulling it over the lump of her ponytail. She closed her dresser drawer, turning to grab her nearby pair of black, converse shoes sliding them on. She then snagged her switchblade from her nightstand, slipping it into her pocket. But a shiny, metallic glimmer caught her eye.

It was Riley's pendant.

Ellie briefly felt that same hard lump rise in her stomach, making her brow scrunch in distress and her legs to stand still. It threatened to make her sick with guilt. But she swallowed, forcing that hard lump back down to whatever part of her gut it had come from. She didn't have time for this.

 _She had shit to do._

Instead, she ignored the metal coin and snatched her nearby backpack, flinging over her shoulder. But her eye caught sight of it again, as if drawn to it like a fish to water.

"Nope." She spat out pulling out the drawer of her nightstand. She slid the pendant across the top until it fell down into the drawer, rattling around as it bounced.

"Not today, fucker." She wasn't going to let this get to her today – or at least right now.

She stood up and kicked the drawer shut, letting the varnished wood slam into itself with an audible thwack. She bottled up whatever feelings were trying to come up out of her just then, holding them down tightly inside of her, tucked away where they could hopefully remain forever.

* * *

Joel sat outside on the wooden stairs of the porch, watching the town awake to the start of the day. He glanced around, breathing in the quietness that permeated the morning air. A pair of birds tweeted from a nearby tree as he felt the heat of the late summer sun hit his arms beneath his grey t-shirt. A group of workers walked by, exchanging laughs as they headed for the dam. A spotted dog ran across the street the other way, holding a tennis ball in its mouth as it brought it back to a praising owner kneeling in the street. A man kissed his young son on the forehead as he left his home a few houses down from them. The little boy waved from the comfort of his mother's hip, a carefree smile on his face.

Joel sighed contently, a small half smile parting his lips.

It was almost like Austin.

The sound of the front door opening caught his ear, bringing him to stand up as he heard a pair of small footsteps grow closer.

"Ready?" he said, turning to see that red headed girl hop down the front porch.

"Mhm." Ellie replied, hiding that a solemnness in her tone which, remarkably, left Joel none the wiser.

The two started off down the street, making their way across the town to their designated work stations for the day. They walked quietly in unison for a while; the only sounds between them were the soles of their shoes scuffing the asphalt road beneath. A group of men passed by them on horseback, slowly trotting the other opposite direction. No doubt they were off to hunt in the woods beyond the town walls. Just as they trotted by, a familiar voice called out to the two of them from behind.

"Hey you two." There was that raspy, southern voice which faintly copied Joel's.

They both turned to see Tommy approaching with a hearty smile.

"Mornin', little brother." Joel replied.

"Hey." Ellie waved.

"How ya'll doin' this morn'?"

"We're good." Joel gave him a nod.

"Good to see ya'll up and movin'."

"Likewise. So what's the plan for today?"

"Well, we got some work to do on that south wall, like I said." Tommy began, walking ahead of them in a gesture to follow.

"Since we still got bandits attackin' from time ta' time, we're beefin' up the reinforcements 'round that end a' town."

"Reckon you could help with some 'a that." He smirked at Joel.

"Heh - yeah, I reckon I could do some good."

Ellie began to trail a bit further behind them, effortlessly letting their conversation fall away from her focus. She took in the sights of the town more closely, instead, as if deflecting her disdain for Joel basically ignoring her now. She caught sight of a few men hammering away at the side of a house, attempting to repair a portion of the wall that looked like it had rotted away. That was a nice change from the outside world, where most people seemed hell-bent on destroying everything.

Every day the town was looking more and more like what she would imagine when Joel told her stories about life before the outbreak. It was becoming that oasis in the desert – that diamond in the rough. She found herself smile before the sound of her name broke her train of thought.

"Ellie?" Tommy called over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

"You're gon' be workin' in the stables today with Maria."

"Oh. Yeah, I know. She told me yesterday." she nodded.

"Oh – A'right then." Tommy conceded, turning back to Joel.

Ellie rolled her eyes as he turned away from her, that faint hint of irritation coming through at being told the same thing multiple times.

"So a little birdie told me that you an' Esther are goin' out tonight." Tommy smirked, giving Joel another nudge.

Ellie's ears perked up as she heard that. She immediately looked over at Joel, waiting for to see his reaction.

Maybe his reaction could tell her more about this mystery "Esther".

"Heh, some'm like that." He scoffed, somewhat dodging that prod.

That was surprisingly benign.

"Well go on – what you two gon' do?" Tommy continued, nudging Joel with his elbow.

Joel feigned a nervous laugh, rubbing his palm against the back of his neck. He looked embarrassed by the mention of all this, which gave her a peculiar feeling of discontented intrigue. She wasn't fond of seeing him uncomfortable or nervous – seeing as how he was her rock and protector. And she actually cared about him, which was a rare thing for her anyway. But, maybe his embarrassment would mean he would forego his date, leaving her to have Joel all to herself.

Ellie leaned in some, trying to get closer to hear his answer. But just as he was about to speak, another voice caught her attention.

"Ellie!" Came that female voice.

Turning her head, Ellie saw Maria catching up to the three of them.

"Oh hey, Maria."

"How you doin', kiddo?"

"I'm good," she nodded, matching the older woman's demeanor.

"Good. So you ready to go to work?"

Looking up at Joel, Ellie saw he was far too engrossed in his conversation with Tommy to even notice Maria had approached them, leading her to hide a small, disheartened frown before turning back to Maria.

"Yeah, I think so."

She lifted her arm, giving the two men a lazy wave before turning away.

"See you guys later."

Joel stopped, looking back over his shoulder at her.

"Oh- shit. Then here."

He immediately jogged over to her, wrapping his veiny arms around her shoulders, fully embracing her in a hug. Ellie could only return the gesture, hugging his waist-line. His warmth melted that frown from her lips. Their interaction drew matching smiles from both Tommy and Maria, who shot one another a glance that they understood the relationship the two had now.

"Have a good day, babygirl." He smiled, giving her a final squeeze before letting go.

"You too." She grinned back at him with those shining, emerald eyes of hers.

She always enjoyed his touch.

But with that, the foursome split up for their respective workstations for the day.

Catching back up with Maria, Ellie walked with her as she led them towards the horse stables.

"So you two are getting along well, yeah?"

"I guess so." Ellie shrugged.

"I mean, Joel's kind of a hard-ass, but he's a good guy. What about you and Tommy?"

Maria stifled a boisterous laugh.

"What can I say? We're the perfect-fucking-two." There was an stark sarcasm in that statement, and Ellie could sense it, given how estranged their relationship looked the first time she had met them nearly a year ago.

Maybe there was at least _some_ truth in those words, but Ellie merely shrugged it off, letting that be the end of the conversation.

A few moments of quietness passed between them as they continued towards the stables, leaving the sounds of their shoes against the gravel and the jumbled sounds of the town coming to life in the late summer morning.

"Here we are. Just up ahead." Maria commented as they approached the stables.

Ellie looked up, seeing the building they were headed towards. It almost looked like a flatter, wider house with several doors and small window openings lining the sides. The bright, wooden exterior almost seemed to shine in the sunlight, showing off the regency of its construction. Behind it lay the large, open field where several horses were already out and about, trotting along a fence-line where a few men stood, observing each one as it passed by.

"Okay." She said under her breath, lagging behind Maria by a few steps.

"Here we go. _Endure and survive_."


	3. Chapter 3

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

The steel hammer slammed against the wooden plank, driving a nail into it with the last few strikes. The sound resonated through the wood, almost seeming to amplify it as it echoed through the air. It was, though, just one random sound against the clatter of the rest of the construction going on nearby – several men all working on the same project of reinforcing the south wall.

Joel sighed, slipping the hammer back into his jean pocket. The sun was still bright – even in the late afternoon – baking the earth with its relentless heat. Sliding his arm across his face, he wiped some of the glistening sweat from his brow. Stepping back, he looked up at the triangle-shaped planks forming the skeleton of what was soon to be a secondary, concrete barrier wall.

"Hey Joel," called a raspy, southern voice. Turning to see Tommy walkingtowards him, Joel greeted him with a smile.

"Hey little brother. Come to bug me again, huh?" He joked.

"Actually, I came t' send ya home."

Joel blinked.

"Send me home?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Yep," Tommy said out with a grin.

"What d'you mean 'send me home'? You know I ain't finished my job yet."

"Doesn't matter," Tommy shrugged.

Joel tilted his head, looking at his brother through half-squinted eyes.

"What're you gettin' at?" he asked, his voice holding a touch of confused irritation.

Tommy chuckled, placing a hand on Joel's shoulder.

"Don't cha got a date tonight?" he asked rhetorically.

"Tommy…" Joel whined, shaking his head.

"Joel," he interrupted, raising his hand up, cutting him off.

"I got someone takin' over for ya. Don't worry – we're good here. You go on and get yourself cleaned up. Don't wantcha bein' late now."

Finally connecting the dots, Joel snorted, holding back a nervous laugh.

"You ain't ever gonna give up on this are ya?" He asked, uncrossing his arms and putting his hands on his hips.

"Nope," Tommy chuckled, giving Joel's shoulder a playful slap. Joel returned the gesture, bringing him in for a side-hug.

"Well, whoever's takin' over for me - I gotta at least let 'em know where I left off," Joel said, stepping back and motioning to the wall.

"Fair enough," Tommy shrugged.

Just then, a third voice called from behind them.

"Hey, Tommy!"

"Speak of the devil," Tommy said with a smirk, turning around to see the source of the voice.

* * *

Ellie ran the brush through the horse's mane rhythmically, keeping the same, gentle pressure with each stroke. The steed snorted, which she could only take as a sign of appreciation for her hard work on cleaning him up.

"You're welcome," Ellie said aloud to the horse, pulling the brush back from the russet-colored locks of the stallion. Giving him a gentle pat on his side, she set the brush down on the side of the stable half-wall. The area reeked of hay and horse droppings; the only solace was the open doors on either end of the stables letting a steady breeze sweep through, carrying with it an occasional breath of fresh air.

"Hey kiddo, done already?" came Maria's voice from behind.

Turning around, Ellie saw the blonde woman approaching from the doorway.

"Oh hey, Maria. Yeah I think so," Ellie nodded,

"Jeez, you work fast. I wasn't expecting you to be done for another hour or two." Maria shook her head lightheartedly as she entered the stall.

"You did good," she said with a surprised smirk, reaching up and running her hand through horse's mane, inspecting Ellie's work.

"Thanks," Ellie said through a nervous smile, almost feeling somewhat proud of herself.

"Well, I think that's all I had for ya today," she shrugged, putting her hands on her hips.

Ellie blinked, that satisfied smile vanishing from her face.

"Oh," she paused, eyes looking down at the floor again.

"Should I go home then?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow up at Maria.

"Sure, get on outta here," she snickered, taking a hold of the reins and leading the horse out of its stall.

"Of course, you could always go see if Joel needs any help," she quipped, smirking over her shoulder as she led the horse towards the exit.

Ellie scoffed, giving a deflated half-smile, mulling over that thought for a brief moment.

"Heh, I might," she said at last, sounding reluctant with her words.

"Say hi to 'em for me!" She hollered as she led the horse through the doors.

"Will do," Ellie called, giving half-wave with her hand. Then, shoving both hands in her pockets, she let out a deep, deflated breath. Glancing around, she couldn't help but feel an emptiness now grow inside her. Then a quick groan from her stomach caught her attention.

"Fuck I'm hungry," she muttered, placing a hand on her abdomen. And with that, she headed for the doors.

* * *

"Tommy, you don't need t'do this," Joel whined, shaking his head slowly.

"I can finish up here 'n go see Esther later-"

"Joel, please," Tommy interrupted.

"Let me do you a _favor for once_."

The seriousness in his voice made Joel's mouth snap shut. Joel crossed his arms, looking down as he awkwardly shuffled his feet.

His guilt was starting to show.

The rhythmic shuffle of boots on gravel grew louder as the man Tommy mentioned before approached them. Tommy extended his arm out slightly, turning to greet him.

"Joel, this is the guy I wanted you ta' meet," Tommy said, introducing him as he stopped at his side.

Pulling his head up, Joel's eyes were met with a noticeably younger blue orbs. A strong, recently-shaven jawline outlined a pair of warm smiling lips. The short, brown hair immediately reminded him of his own, holding a similar length and that look of neat chaos that almost appeared messy. His light gray t-shirt seemed to fit comfortably around his well-built, upper body. It showed off the work of a daily grind through the darkened spots under the collar and arms. His navy jeans just the same – telling away their story by the mud stains on the pant legs, leading to a pair of all-too-worn work boots.

Tommy gave him a pat on the shoulder as he pulled him in.

"This is Joe."

"Hey." He greeted warmly, reaching out for a handshake.

"Howdy." Joel replied in a low tone, taking his hand.

Joel quietly raised a brow, noticing the firmness of his grip.

"It's good to finally meet you," Joe said as they finished their handshake.

"Tommy's told me a helluva lot about you."

Joel scoffed.

"Pfft, all good things I hope."

Joel half smiled, shooting Tommy a glance.

"Oh, nothin' but."

Joe shook his head.

"Actually from his stories, I was kinda expecting you to be about eight feet tall." He gave Tommy a playful nudge with his elbow.

Tommy laughed, even bringing Joel to give into a nervous cackle.

"Yeah he's prone t' stretchin' the truth at times." Joel nodded.

Joe shrugged.

"I wouldn't know anything about that..." he said, looking up and away in an obvious display of sarcasm.

"Oh go on..." Tommy mumbled, holding back a laugh.

"Yeah anyway," Joe began, motioning over to the wooden stilts against the town wall.

"I guess I best be takin' over for you so you aren't late for tonight."

Joel sighed.

"Jesus Christ...Does everyone in town know about this already?" Joel muttered, a faint annoyance surfacing in his tone.

Joe smirked over his shoulder.

"Not _everyone -_ just everyone _Tommy knows_."

Joel snorted, glaring over at his brother.

"So everyone." He quipped.

Tommy laughed. He patted his brother's shoulder, as if that was an apology for not keeping his romantic interests a secret.

"Eh, more or less." He shrugged.

Joel grumbled, rolling his eyes to himself.

He might have been a little annoyed at the big mouthiness of his younger sibling, but he couldn't be all that upset with him.

And Tommy knew it.

"Well I'll leave ya'll to it then. But you git outta here aye-sap, mkay?" Tommy said before turning to leave.

"I got it, I got it..."

Joel nodded, turning with Joe to head back to the wall.

* * *

Her stomach growled, growing impatient with the lack of food.

"Mph," she whined, rubbing her abdomen again, feeling that emptiness grow inside her. She quickened her pace as she crossed the town, on her way to see the man she had come to accept as the closest thing she would ever get to a father figure.

All things considered, though, he wasn't a bad example to follow. He might not be the most perfect, but even she knew he cared for her as if she was his own. And that thought alone was comforting in this post-apocalyptic world.

Her stomach growled again, breaking her train of thought.

"Uugh!" she grunted, frustration mounting in her voice.

"The faster I get there, the faster we can eat," she said to herself, as if setting her own motivation.

After a few minutes, she found herself walking through the town square, giving her a slight sense of satisfaction.

"Almost there," she whispered to herself, knowing this marked the middle of the town, and the halfway point of her journey. It wasn't much – just an open square-shaped grassy yard, crisscrossed by concrete walkways, leading to the courthouse.

But it was cleaner – noticeably cleaner. The grass looked recently cut and there were almost no weeds creeping up through the cracks in the walkways like they usually did. Even the courthouse itself was cleaner – the white marble pillars almost appeared to glow in the sunlight; the concrete steps leading up to them still wet from a recent hose-down.

Ellie took in a prolonged look at the sight as she continued her journey, silently raising a brow at the strangeness of it. But her relentless stomach wouldn't let her dwell on anything for long, demanding her attention as she continued on, heading for the south wall.

* * *

"A'right, now see this here?"

Joel pointed to one of the wooden joists a few feet away.

"Yeah." Joe nodded.

"Those gotta get reinforced so we can pour concrete through here 'n beef up a backstop for the wall."

"Okay."

"So, you'll wanna support it with another stilt here and here," he explained, pointing to the two spots.

"And jus' continue that down the wall 'til it corners."

"Oh, alright – yeah, I see what you're sayin'. I know where we are then."

Joe immediately passed Joel, stepping over a beam.

Joel quirked a brow, watching him slip through the maze of wood.

"You done this before?" He asked, following him.

Joe gave a nod.

"Yeah, sorta. Did similar stuff on a house a few months back. I usually work with machines, but - Tommy's been havin' me doin' all kinds of stuff lately."

He approached the ending beam, sliding a metal ruler from his jean pocket and placing it against it.

"I've probably done just about every job in this town so far, actually."

"Heh." Joel paused a moment, thinking about the weight of that statement.

"How long _have_ you lived here?"

Joe looked up, breathing in through his nose as he thought.

"Uh, about a year I think. I got here last fall." He shrugged.

"Wasn't too long after you left."

Joel blinked.

"I left?" He asked, half squinting at the oddly casual tone of his remark.

Joe pulled back from the beam, raising a brow at Joel.

He was less sure of his assumption now.

"Didn't you? Tommy said you left for Colorado, like, late last summer-"

"Ohhh that." Joel groaned. He had almost forgotten about that.

"Yeah, I had, uh…I had some... _business_ to take care of."

He looked down, his tone sounding almost somber.

Joe gave a slow nod, as if he knew what that meant.

"I understand." Joe replied, slowly crossing his arms.

"I know a lot about _'business'_ , too."

He pointed his index finger to a small, silver cross hanging from a thin chain around his neck.

Looking back up at him, Joel noticed his gesture, eyes fixing on the small, shiny cross dangling from his necklace. His words echoing in his head, Joel wondered what he could mean before the realization hit him.

The style – the texture – the _size_ of that necklace.

 _It belonged to someone else_.

Joel's lips parted; a metaphorical drop of the jaw as he slowly began to understand the magnitude of what he just said. Joel stared at him momentarily, trying to digest his words. He wasn't sure exactly what – or even who – this boy had lost, but he had a feeling that somehow the two had some sort of mutual understanding that transcended whatever words they were using.

"I'm sorry." Joel murmured.

He reached up to place a hand on Joe's shoulder.

Joe quickly brushed away his action.

"Don't be. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows what loss is."

He shrugged, giving a weak smile.

"Mm, you'd be right about that." Joel murmured, just barely loud enough for Joe to hear.

Joe nodded slowly, letting his eyes trail to the ground in thought.

A brief silence passed between them.

"Welp, anyway," Joe pipped up, gesturing towards the wall.

"I'll finish up here. You better get goin'."

He glanced down at his black wrist watch for a time-check.

"Yeah, you're prolly right." Joel said, scratching the back of his neck.

"I better git outta here before the 'Boss Man' comes back." He winked.

Joe laughed.

"Yeah, that's probly wise." He nodded.

"But it was good to meetcha, Joel." He said, reaching out for another handshake.

Joel gave in to a genuine smile as he took his hand again.

"Likewise."

And with that quick gesture, the two men separated.

Joel turned to leave, stepping back over a few beams as he made his way out of the work area.

* * *

Hearing the sounds of construction up ahead, Ellie heaved a sigh of relief.

"Ugh, finally," she said to herself as the wooden planks mounted against the town's barrier came into view. Her eyes quickly scanned the place for Joel, hoping to find him before her stomach turned inside out. Then, seeing that familiar figure stepping over a maze of wooden planks, Ellie couldn't help but smile.

"Hey Joel!" she called, flashing him a wave.

Joel's head shot up at the sound of her voice, noticing it even through all the noise around him. Eyes quickly spotting her walking towards him, his smile spread from ear to ear.

"Ell-lay!" he yelled out, throwing his arms out to either side. Her grin deepened at his action, compelling her to quicken her pace to a quick jog as she ran right into his arms. Snatching her up, Joel briefly picked her up off her feet, squeezing her tight into his chest. She silently reveled in his warmth, soaking in as much of it as she could – even in the heat of the late summer afternoon. She squeezed him back, prolonging the moment just a second longer before he set her back down.

"What're you doin' here?" He asked.

He was a bit surprised by her presence.

"I thought you were workin' in the stables?"

"I was."Ellie nodded.

"Maria let me off early."

She shrugged, turning both palms upwards.

"Good behavior, I guess?"

Joel scoffed.

"Good behavior? You? Now that's a laugh," he teased, nudging her shoulder.

"Ha-ha. Fuck you, too," she replied, rolling her eyes to hide a smile creeping up underneath.

Joel nodded.

"Alright, alright. Well, Tommy let me off early, too," he began, scratching his beard some.

"So I guess we'll head on back-"

"For dinner?" Ellie interjected, looking at him with an almost hopeful stare.

Joel paused, raising a brow.

"You hungry already?"

" _Star-ving."_

"Well we better git you home before you starve to death," he snorted.

He reached his arm across her shoulders as they set off.

A few minutes of quietness passed between the two before Ellie pipped up again.

"Oh, Maria says hi, by the way."

"Heh, well then tell her I said hi back," he teased, giving her far shoulder a squeeze.

Ellie snickered. That was such an obvious answer it almost sounded dumb.

"Hah – okay."

"Well if you won't I'm sure Tommy will." Joel said just barely loud enough for her to hear.

Ellie quirked a brow at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Joel scoffed, shaking his head.

"Nuthin'." He smirked.

Ellie stared at him for a moment, her skeptical eyes trying to find some meaning behind his words. But she quickly shrugged it off, knowing that whatever he meant must not have been that important.

Or at least, not important to her.

"So what's for dinner?" She asked.

"Hmm," Joel thought aloud, giving his bearded chin a stroke.

"Well we could always-"

"Hey Joel?" called a voice, interrupting him.

Joel slowly looked over his shoulder, brow raised in a slight display of annoyance at the interruption. But immediately seeing who it was, he stopped, relaxing his appearance.

"Oh hey Joe," he replied, finding a smile slip across his face. Dropping his arm from Ellie's back, he turned around to greet him.

Ellie noticed the absence of his arm immediately and frowned. She turned around as well, curious to see just who could have caused that to happen.

"What can I do ya for?" Joel asked.

"Well I came by t' see if you still had the hammer on you, by chance? I can't find it up there."

Joe pointed back over his shoulder with a thumb.

Joel patted his pockets, immediately feeling that tell-tale shape of the hammer sticking out over the hem of his jeans.

"Oh, shit," he muttered.

"Yeah I do – my bad. Here you go," He said

"Ah, no worries – thanks," Joe replied as Joel handed it off to him.

A rather awkward silence formed between them for a moment, before Joe glanced over at the smaller, red-headed girl standing next to Joel. His smile widened in realization.

"Is this Ellie?" Joe asked, giving a nod towards her.

"Eyep, this is Ellie," Joel replied, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey! It's good to finally meet you," he said, extending his hand out to her for a shake. He gave her the same earnest smile that he had given Joel earlier.

"Yeah, you too…I guess," she stammered, sounding a bit unsure of exactly who he was as she reluctantly took his hand.

She immediately felt the softness of his fingertips upon his touch, noticing how strange that felt compared to the calloused, aged hands she had grown used to with Joel.

It was oddly kind of nice.

"Ellie - this is Joe." Joel explained.

"He took over f'er me at the wall taday."

"Yeah, your dad was _slackin_ ' so they sent 'em _packin_." Joe joked, giving Joel a wink.

Ellie and Joel shot one another a glance.

"Well…he's not _really_ my dad, per say," Ellie began, scrunching her face some as the fumbled through her words.

Joe tilted his head some, seeming confused by her statement.

"I kinda promised someone I'd look after 'er." Joel finished, patting Ellie on the shoulder.

Joe nodded slowly.

"Ohhh, I gotcha."

He looked down briefly at the grass, a melancholic expression taking over.

"I understand that."

Ellie noticed the sudden softness in his voice, making her raise a brow at him.

"Yeah?"

She looked at him as if wanting some further explanation.

Joe looked back up at her with a seriousness in his eyes - a coldness she wasn't expecting.

"Yeah."

The softness of his answer instantly shut her up.

She had clearly struck a nerve.

"Well anyway – thanks for the hammer." Joe said at last, returning the conversation back to the lightheartedness it had before.

He forced a weak grin towards them.

"See ya'll later."

He gave them a quick, two-finger salute as he turned to head back to the wall.

"Nice meetin' you, Ellie." He waved.

The two gave him a casual wave back as he left.

"Y'er welcome – see ya 'round." Joel called as he turned around to continue on home.

Ellie followed suit, following Joel back home. But Joe's words echoed in her head.

She had gotten the feeling that he was hiding something - but she couldn't pin-point just what that was.

 _He understood what "taking care of someone" means?_ She thought. _How could he understand **that**?_

Ellie pondered those words - until her stomach interrupted her again, reminding her of how hungry she still was.

Sliding her hands into her jean pockets, Ellie sighed.

"So what did we say was for dinner?"

Joel shrugged.

"Eh, I think we still got us some canned beans left," he replied, laying his arm across her shoulders again.

She scoffed, placing a hand on her stomach.

"At this point, I'd fucking eat anything."

Joel smirked as a quick thought entered his head.

Leaning down, he murmured into her ear.

"Well if you're gonna eat a clock, jus' know that it's very _time consumin_ '."

He smirked, looking at her out the corner of his eye as if to wait for her reaction.

"Oh my god, Joel..." She whined, dropping her shoulders at his joke.

She looked up at him, shaking her head.

Joel burst out laughing, pulling her closer. Her heavy cringed at the terrible pun only made it that much more hilarious to him.

"Oh come on! That's funny!" he pleaded, squeezing her shoulder.

Ellie rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. That's a good one."

She knew it was a terrible joke.

But it made her smile anyway.


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: First, I want to thank all of you for reading this story. I've been working my butt off writing it and it makes me happy knowing there are actually people enjoying it.  
**

 **Secondly, I wanted to warn you that this is the chapter introducing Esther - Joel's love interest. I based her off of someone I know in my own personal life. I hope she becomes a character you can admire or at the very least, come to terms with.**

 **And as always, any critique is greatly appreciated! Thank you and enjoy!**

Chapter 4.

Ellie turned the page.

She sat cross legged on her bed, silently rereading one of her comic books in her lap. It was starting to show the wear and tear on each page from the overuse; the Savage Starlight title looking far more faded, wrinkle lines crisscrossing the cover.

Her cheek rested against her knuckles, her lungs taking in a deep breath. Glancing over at the clock on her nightstand, she sighed, pushing her lips together and making them vibrate as she exhaled. She hated how slow the time was passing. They had only been home barely an hour – just long enough to eat and shower – but it to her it might as well have been six.

And she was getting increasingly bored.

"Well how do I look?" A sudden, raspy voice came from the doorway.

She looked up to see Joel wearing a freshly cleaned pair of jeans and a golden-colored, button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbows and the top button undone. His beard and hair were both noticeably trimmed back, making him look cleaner than she had ever remembered seeing him. He was actually kind of handsome.

"Damn…you clean up nice," Ellie grinned, her eyes lighting up at the sight.

He smiled.

"Yeah, not bad for an old timer, huh?"

Ellie shook her head.

"Not at all. I think gold's definitely your color."

"Well, let's hope Esther thinks so," he laughed nervously.

Ellie blinked – her smile and the light from her eyes both instantly fading at the mention of the unknown woman's name.

"What time are you seeing her, again?" She quickly blurted out.

"Eh, prolly not for a while yet. I jus' wanted to be sure I looked presentable."

Her freckled face scrunched in confusion.

"Why the hell does that matter?"

Joel raised a brow, wondering why she would ask such a question. To him, it had always been just a part of life; an expected behavior. There seemed to be an obvious answer, but he couldn't quite explain it. He gave her a candid answer, as if to avoid that question.

"You'll understand someday."

Ellie rolled her eyes at that vague response.

"What-ever."

A brief silence came between them. Joel fumbled through his thoughts to bring up another topic of conversation.

"So…didja figure out what y'er doin' tonight?"

Ellie smirked, leaning back and propping herself up by her arms.

"Oh yeah, I was thinking about havin' a house party. You know – boys, alcohol, spin the bottle..."

Joel scoffed.

"No drugs?"

"Oh fuck yeah! _Hard-core_ drugs."

They both laughed. There, again, was that sense of humor they both shared – their sarcasm – in tune with one another.

She shrugged; their laughter fading.

"Nah, I dunno what the fuck I'm gonna do. I guess I'll figure something out."

"Well a'right," he nodded.

"But listen," he began, walking towards her bedside. His voice was noticeably more serious.

"I'd really appreciate it if you'd meet Esther…when she gets here."

Ellie's brow scrunched.

"She's coming here?" she asked, a tone of resentment coming through.

"Yeah," he confessed.

"What…why?" She squinted up at him.

She seemed more confused than angry, which was, at least partly relieving to him.

"Well," he sighed, sitting at the end of her bed.

"She lives over by the town hall. And we were plannin' on headin' to one a' the gardens ta pick some food 'n then head down to that pond near the edge a' town."

"Like a picnic?" Ellie suddenly chirped up, looking at him with an inquisitive stare.

It brought a hefty smirk to Joel's lips.

"Yeah. Like a picnic."

A somber glaze fell over Ellie's face as she looked down at the creased lines of her comic book pages. That idea of a picnic by the lake sounded somewhat cliché, but she knew that a small part of her yearned for that kind of experience. It was something she wished she could have done in her life.

Something she wished she could have done with Riley.

"Well, when she comes by I'll meet her," Ellie said, quickly repressing the thought.

Joel nodded, understanding.

"Jus' try ta be polite. For me." He spoke softly, as if his words playfully begged at her conscience.

"No promises," she said at last, smirking.

He laughed, leaning over and pulling her into a hug.

"That's all I can ask."

She hugged him back, nuzzling her face into his chest when a strange scent of spices hit her nostrils.

Taking in a deep sniff of this new aroma, she smiled.

"Oooh, you smell _good_."

She sniffed again.

" _What is that_ ," she demanded, pressing her nose harder into his shirt.

Joel snorted.

"It's uh, a cologne I borrowed from Tommy. Figured I'd try it out tonight. Ya like it?"

She nodded, pulling back to look up at him, eyes beaming.

"I love it."

"Well good. Maybe I won't smell like an old man for once," he smirked.

"Oh, you're still an old man," she scoffed.

"But you're _my_ old man."

Those words brought him a smile. He knew he was getting later in years, but it was times like this that kept him feeling young. She might not have been his daughter by blood, but even he knew that family could go far beyond that. This fiery, red-haired girl was just as much of a daughter to him as Sarah had been. And whenever she said stuff like that that suggested she accepted him back as a father, he couldn't help but feel at least a touch of happiness.

"Damn right," he murmured, hugging her tight.

Nestling her face back into the fabric of his shirt, Ellie hugged him back, relishing his paternal embrace before he eventually pulled away.

"Well, I'm 'unna go finish washin' the dishes," he said, standing up.

"I'll holler when Esther gits here."

"Mmkay," Ellie nodded.

Joel made his way to her doorway before Ellie's voice stopped him again.

"Joel?"

"Hm?" he paused, turning back over his shoulder.

She hesitated for a moment, eyes searching the floor for the right words. Looking back up at him with an earnest gaze, she smiled.

"Don't be out too late."

Joel smiled faintly, looking at her with knowing eyes.

"I won't."

The two exchanged one last smile before he turned and left, leaving her with those reassuring words echoing in her head.

He knew she didn't like to be left alone.

* * *

 _Knock-knock-knock._

"Ell-lay?" Joel hollered.

"Yeah?" she called back from her bedroom.

"That's Esther. C'mon down now," he said, making his way towards the front door.

"'Kay – be right there!"

Ellie stood facing her mirror. She stared at her own reflection as she reached up to her pony tail. Pulling on the little, elastic band, it slid down until it popped free, releasing her auburn locks. As her hair fell down, it brushed against the back of her neck, laying in such a way that gave her an almost entirely new face. She tilted her head to one side, studying the look as if pondering leaving it like this.

Maybe she could do without the ponytail for once.

"Ell-lay!" Joel hollered again.

She quickly snapped back to reality, pulling her hair taught again and hurriedly putting it back into the familiar ponytail.

"Coming!" she yelled back.

"Alright. Here we go," she whispered to herself.

"Endure and Survive."

Ellie hurried down the steps, hearing Joel's laughter echoing from the living room. Then, hearing the faint sound of a woman's voice alongside his, she began to hesitate, slowing down as she reached the last few steps.

"Ah, there she is," Joel said as she hopped off the last step.

"Here I am," she replied, shrugging.

Stepping back, Joel gestured towards the woman standing near the door.

"Ellie – _this_ is Esther."

Looking up, Ellie paused momentarily, almost taken aback by the slender figure.

After everything she had imagined – or even feared – about this woman, the reality was astonishingly plain:

A flowery, off-white dress, shoulder-length, chocolate-brown hair and light, sun-kissed skin that showed the faintest signs of aging.

"Hi," the woman greeted, giving a faint wave of her palm.

Her voice was reminiscent of Tess, but with a distinctly more delicate nature. Her rounded face beamed a grin through a pair of small, perky lips – drawing out a pair of dimples from either side of her mouth. Rounded, mossy-green eyes were lit up, holding a genuine enthusiasm that caught Ellie just slightly off-guard.

"Uh, hey," Ellie responded with her best attempt at a polite smile.

"So _**you're**_ the one Joel talks about all the time," Esther smirked.

"Uh, I guess?" Ellie shrugged, not entirely sure about what that meant, but the statement triggered her intuition.

She immediately began scanning Esther's expression, searching for something; anything that would suggest falseness or hidden intentions.

 _She needed a reason to not trust her._

"Well he told me you like jokes," she said, her smile giving way to a more playful frame.

Ellie nodded, keeping a politely platonic expression.

"Yeah, I do. Joel told me the one about eating clocks already, though."

"Of course he did," she said, shooting him a playful squint.

"Well, then tell me if you've heard _this_ one," she said, clearing her throat.

"Why do trees look suspicious on sunny days?"

Ellie squinted through a smile, momentarily waiting for the punchline.

"Why?"

"Because they're shady!" Esther squeaked, giving an overzealous grin.

Ellie snorted. She couldn't help but find the humor in the silliness of that pun. Even Joel gave way to a laugh, leaving Esther looking rather pleased with herself.

Ellie felt a strange sense of comfort rise out of her fading laughter, unsure of where it was coming from.

"No, I haven't heard that before," Ellie conceded.

"That's a good one."

"Yeah, I got it from a joke book," Esther said.

Ellie raised a brow, her eyes suddenly glowing with a child-like fervor.

"You have a joke book?"

"Mmhm," Esther nodded.

"It's a pretty good one, too. It's got all kinds of puns, riddles, knock-knock jokes…You can borrow it sometime if you'd like."

"Yeah! That'd be great!" Ellie blurted out, immediately biting her lip. Hearing her own words, she quickly realized how overly enthusiastic they probably sounded.

She quickly softened her tone.

"Mine's getting kinda old," she admitted.

"Well I'll bring mine next time for you then," Esther said, a confident warmth in her tone.

Ellie looked up at her with a faint look of wonder. She kept waiting for there to be something strange about her – some tell-tale sign of deception that Ellie could pick up on.

But there was nothing.

She seemed to be just how Joel had described her: witty, pretty, and _kind_.

Almost like a mother.

Ellie nodded, unaware of how wide her smile had become.

"Okay."

Esther smiled back, her face just barely flushing a shade of pink that hinted at a shyness underneath. Ellie watched the purity of that gesture unfold before Joel interjected himself into the conversation.

"Well, uh…we best git goin'," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah – you're probly right," Esther nodded.

"But it was nice meeting you, Ellie," she said, extending a hand out to her.

"Yeah. You too," Ellie said, still staring up at her with a child-like curiosity.

As Ellie took her hand, she was silently taken aback. Her fingers slid around Ellie's palm, almost in a supportive manner, surprising her with a tender warmth she hadn't known in years. Ellie's hand effortlessly melted into her touch as she guided their hands up and down. It was almost like she was used to interacting with kids.

It was almost like she **_was_ ** a mother.

Ellie reluctantly let her hand go, as if wanting to make the contact last just a second longer.

Opening the door, Joel held it open as he turned to Ellie.

"Now don't burn the house down, a'right?" he said through a sarcastic smirk.

Ellie scoffed at his words.

"No promises."

Esther suppressed a giggle at the two of them.

"Bye Ellie," she waved.

"Bye." Ellie replied, lifting her hand for a lazy wave back.

Joel held the door open for Esther as she walked out before reaching over to Ellie for a side-hug.

"Bye baby-girl," he murmured, leaning down to give her hair a quick kiss. The feeling of his prickly whiskers tickled her forehead, forcing another grin onto her lips.

"Bye Joel," she whispered back, giving his waist a squeeze.

And with that, he left, closing the door with a click of the knob.

And there Ellie was – home alone. Again.

She sighed, leaning a shoulder against the banister of the stairwell. She silently stared at the floor as the memory of the last few minutes circled through her mind.

Esther wasn't at all what she was expecting – but that, she quickly realized, was a good thing. After everything she had been through in life, she had come to expect the worst from people. From Boston through Salt Lake City, hunters, cannibals and infected seemed to be the only things left in a world devoid of hope, with almost nothing behind that was worth saving. And even when she did find someone, they always wound up dying or leaving her. Joel remained the one person that didn't – and she held onto that thought.

He, quite literally, was the one person who had stayed by her; the one person who made her feel like she wasn't entirely alone. He might have been just some random stranger at first – another ordinary person among countless others she had run into in life. But even then, she knew he was different. And over the course of their time together, she figured out why:

 _She knew she could trust him._

And if he could trust Esther, then maybe - at some point - Ellie could trust her too.

 _Maybe there **was** still some good left in the world._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: First, I want to apologize for the delay in writing this chapter. It has been an overly hectic past few weeks and I've put every bit of free time into finishing this chapter. So thank you for bearing with me on that.**

 **Secondly, I want to apologize for the length of this chapter. And yes – I know it's not overly long. It's actually shorter than I intended, as I wanted to include more, but it ended up being too much to fit in and, well…I figured I've kept you all waiting long enough.**

 **Lastly, this chapter includes the first musical number of the story. Near the end, when Ellie plays her Walkman, it's the song "Alive" by Pearl Jam. If you want to listen to it you can play it in a second tab, window, or on your own Walkman – if you've got one.**

 **The reason for this song is two-fold: It's one of the songs Ellie hums in the game, which leads me to believe it's one she's heard before – most likely from a cassette tape for her Walkman. I also chose this song because it fits the ending theme to this chapter, where Ellie is choosing to 'live' for a change.**

 **And thank you all for your continued readings and reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And, as always, any criticism is greatly appreciated!**

* * *

The door closed behind him as he made his way down the porch steps, the each plank of wood creaking under the thump of his boots.

He was almost disappointed that Ellie hadn't put up more of a protest to him leaving – even if it was only for a short while. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if she would be alright by herself, seeing as this would be the first time they had willingly been apart since they arrived in Jackson. Sure, they had different jobs in town and had worked apart from one another – like they had today – but now, it was different.

Now he was essentially _choosing_ to leave her behind.

He felt that shadowy sense of guilt creep up from his gut as he stepped off the bottom step, where Esther was patiently awaiting him.

Connecting eyes with her, he noticed that sun-kissed, dimpled smile of hers. It conveyed a gentle sense of comfort, which, to him, was strangely kind of relaxing.

Strange because he couldn't quite explain it, and relaxing because he found it easy to take solace in her expression; as though it was able to quell that low feeling of remorse for leaving Ellie behind.

She almost looked like she was trying to say that she understood – like she knew what it felt like to leave a loved one behind. Maybe she had, maybe she hadn't. He didn't know. But her patience was so unusually accommodating that he couldn't help but wonder.

Then just as he approached her, a peculiar scent caught his attention. It was a fresh, flowery fragrance – one he almost recognized. He had smelled it before, but for some reason he couldn't exactly remember when. Maybe it was something he encountered on one of the hikes he had been on with Sarah. Or maybe it was something he had come across with Ellie on their travels.

Whatever it was, it was noticeably out of place.

But even so, it smelled good.

Damn good.

He breathed in deeper, confirming the aroma just a second longer before he stopped by her side.

"Ready?" Esther asked, looking up at him with a caring gaze. Her delicate tone sounded more like she was asking him if he was okay than anything.

He gave a quick glance over his shoulder at the door again, as if checking to be sure Ellie hadn't come rushing out to beg him to come back already.

But seeing only the closed door under the hanging porchlight, he turned back to Esther.

He gave her a reassuring nod, signaling that he was, in fact, ready.

"I reckon."

Esther lips curved into a small, soft smile. She looked as though she was holding back a certain, humble excitement from his response – and maybe she was. After all, he was willing to spend time away from his _daughter_ to go out with her.

Joel was unaware that his own crinkly smile had slid across his face as they began walking.

But Esther saw it, and it gave her a distinct feeling of contentment.

A few moments of silence passed as their smiles faded into more casual expressions, allowing them to take in the quaintness of the late afternoon on their leisurely stroll.

The sun was still a ways up from the horizon, giving off a warm heat that was uncanny for a Wyoming summer evening. A few streaks of wispy, white cirrus clouds sprawled across the deepness of the cerulean sky. They looked more like vapor trails that had been painted onto the backdrop of the blue with an old paint brush, frozen way up in the atmosphere where they never really seemed to move.

A flock of geese flew by overhead in formation, squawking an incoherent language that faded as they disappeared beyond the tree lines. The trees themselves were still in full bloom, forests bearing the greens and browns of full health, now that nature was able to reclaim its territory from man.

Well, except for Jackson, of course.

The town itself was very much alive with folks still working and building; farming and fixing as the day was just beginning to wind down. What once was just an outpost – a small safe haven with only a handful of residents – had grown into a vibrant community, boasting dozens of families, crops, and livestock.

There were even children here.

Of course, there were walls like the ones around the quarantine zones, but even those felt different.

They didn't have that same feel that the walls in Boston did. Maybe it was their size – smaller and even somewhat thinner than the ones around the quarantine zones. Or maybe it was their colors, as they were composed of random sections of sheet metal and concrete bolted together like a cluttered jigsaw puzzle.

Whatever the reason, the walls felt like they had a different purpose here.

They felt protective instead of oppressive. They gave people a second chance; an opportunity to do things right.

They gave people a shot at _redemption_.

That was something Joel knew all too well.

"So…" Esther began.

Her voice brought him back from his observations.

"So..." He replied, mirroring her tone. He wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"So…that was Ellie?" She commented, a hint of ponderousness in her tone.

He held back a nervous laugh, giving her a nod.

Now he knew where the conversation was going.

"Eyep. That was Ellie."

Esther's smile widened, showing the shallow dimples on either side of her cheeks.

"I like her, Joel. She seems like a very nice girl."

That sounded more like a compliment directed at him than at Ellie.

"Oh good," he said, sounding a bit relieved in his delivery.

"I'd hoped she wouldn't put ya off tew much."

Esther waved her hand, brushing away that notion.

"Oh – not at all, Joel. I can see why you talk about her all the time."

She had a playful tenor in her voice that communicated a genuine appreciation for the redheaded teen, something that Joel found extraordinarily pleasing to hear.

Nevertheless, he kept that to himself.

"Heh. Yeah, she is a good kid…most a' the time." He smirked at her.

" _Most_ of the time?" Esther raised a somewhat playful brow at him.

"What does that mean?"

He shrugged.

"Ah nuthin'. She jus'…she forgits her manners sometimes, that's all."

"Ohh okay." Esther nodded understandingly.

"Well, she is a teenage girl. They do tend to forget their manners sometimes..."

She trailed off with a grin, looking up and away, as if reminiscing of her own habits when she was that age.

"Oh, I know." Joel nodded.

"Jus' wish she'd pick better times to forgit 'em." He said, holding back a chuckle.

He had a daughter once, too.

"Well, _I_ thought she remembered 'em pret-ty darn well." Esther replied, as if insisting upon the fact.

"I reckon." Joel nodded.

"'Course I did tell 'er to be on 'er best behavior when she met you."

"Oh did you?" She looked at him with a coy brow.

"Well tell her she did a great job."

There was that dimpled, genuine grin of hers again catching Joel's eye. He couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I'll be sure to let her know."

"You better." She smirked.

There was an interesting mix of seriousness and lightheartedness in her tone that he was able to pick up on. He had heard it before from women, but it had been so long that it nearly missed his senses.

It sounded _flirtatious_.

Joel felt his cheeks get warm, even amongst the warmth of the summer afternoon, as they started to show the faintest hint of flushness.

Esther could tell and nearly blushed in response, before her eyesight trailed down to the checkered pattern of his gold button-up.

"I like that shirt on you, by the way."

Joel blinked.

"Oh – uh, thanks." He stammered, glancing down at the fabric. He wasn't used to being complimented – much less flirted with – but he couldn't exactly complain about it.

"Ellie helped me pick it out."

He instantly bit his lip, almost cursing himself for bringing up Ellie again. He was sure Esther had to be getting annoyed with it by now.

"Really?" She said with a look of fascination.

"Well…the girl's got good taste! Gold _definitely_ is your color."

Joel nearly stopped, just barely starting to trail behind as she walked ahead with a satisfied attitude in her step. He practically felt his jaw drop as he heard that eerily similar flow of words from her, until he realized why it sounded so familiar.

Ellie had said the same thing.

Joel felt a new pressure build in his stomach as he picked up his pace again to match hers. It was a new feeling – one that had all but replaced that shadowy guilt from before. Surely it wasn't love – but it had been so long that Joel felt anything like this that he didn't know what to call it.

He merely found himself walking closer to her than before, his curiosity drawing him in. Perhaps it was the diminishing barrier he had constructed in his mind to separate him from other people. Ellie was the only one who had gotten past it, and as his pace matched Esther's, he began to think that she could be doing the same thing.

Simply put, he was intrigued. He wanted to get to know this woman more, and that feeling wasn't going away.

Even if it was something almost foreign to him – something he hadn't felt in years – it was there, and there was no denying it.

* * *

The floor creaked as she made her way off the top step, heading for her bedroom. She was already bored again and knew it was a matter of time before she would find herself getting antsy for a new fix of excitement. As scary as the outside world was, at least it wasn't boring. Of course, she was constantly fighting for her life. Of course, there was always that fear of not surviving another day.

But there was never a dull moment.

Walking through her doorway, she noticed Joel's guitar still leaning against her windowsill, the sight immediately bringing him to mind.

She let out a shallow breath as she sat down on the side of her bed. Glancing around at the plain-colored walls, she felt a distinct sense of longing creep up on her.

It was a strange sense of longing, too. She couldn't tell whether it was a longing for Joel to come home, or just to not be bored anymore, but it was definitely there, and it was growing.

Looking over at the old alarm clock on her nightstand, she heaved a sigh of frustration.

He hadn't been gone for twenty minutes, and she was already sick of the silence. She had to find something to do.

She reached for the comic book laying on the bed next to her before she noticed a certain, greenish blob in the corner – her backpack.

She stared at it just a moment, trying to remember what all was in there that could be of any value to her, until one particular item came to mind.

Her Walkman.

"Oh – duh!"

She jumped up from her mattress, darting over to rummage through the bag. How could she have forgotten about the Walkman that she had had for years? The one that she had promised to fix - and had done just that within the last few weeks of being in Jackson? She nearly kicked herself.

Feeling that square, plastic frame meet her hand, an excited grin lit up her face.

She immediately unraveled the small, grey earbuds wrapped around it. Once untangled, she slid it half-way into her jean pocket, letting it stick out the top just far enough for her to reach the buttons. She then tucked an earbud into either ear, before kneeling back down and rummaging through her backpack once more for something else.

But after a few seconds, she grunted, unable to find it.

"Oh, come on, you fucker. Where are you…?" She said to herself, digging deeper into the sack.

A few more moments of unsuccessful searching went by before she let out a loud, frustrated groan.

"Arrrgh!"

She then picked up the entire bag and flipped it upside down, shaking out all the contents into a cluttered pile onto the floor, tossing the now empty backpack aside.

She dug through the random items, pushing some aside in quest.

"Goddammit! Where's my fucking knife?" She grunted, standing up. She immediately began looking around the room for that special weapon of hers. It might not have been much, but that precious switch-blade had saved her life – as well as Joel's – more than once. She could never go anywhere without it.

Just as she was about to give up, her eyes settled on the steel blade glimmering from the top of her dresser.

"Oh, _there_ you are." She muttered, snatching it up.

"Fucker."

She snapped it shut and shoved it into an empty pocket.

She hurried down the steps, heading for the front door. But just as her fingers wrapped around the knob, she stopped, holding herself there for a moment as a series of thoughts entered her mind.

 _What if Joel comes back soon?_

That idea almost made her smile, until she realized the implications behind it.

On the one hand, him coming home early would mean she would no longer be alone. She would have her protector with her – her _father figure_ with her. But on the other, it would mean that his date was almost certainly a disaster. And if she knew him as well as she thought she did, that would depress him for, at the very least a few hours – if not the rest of the night.

And that just wouldn't be fair to him.

As much as she didn't want to be alone, she wanted him to be happy.

She had heard there was a saying about that once; something that had to do with love, but she couldn't quite recall how it went.

She shook her head of the thought, opening the front door.

 _But what if he came back and she wasn't there?_

Walking onto the porch, she paused again, pondering through that option.

If he did come back before her, he would undoubtedly be worried. And she knew better than anyone that when fear crossed Joel's mind – especially concerning her – he became someone else. He became that same man that she had seen blow off a dozen clicker's heads with a shotgun. The same man that would strangle countless hunters to death just so they could get through their camp alive. He became a nightmare to anyone in his way. Quite literally, he had fought and killed for her. He had risked his life for her.

Did she really want to put him through any more of that?

No. She couldn't do that to him anymore. They had a new life now, here in Jackson. This was their second chance. They had to do things right this time.

But she knew she couldn't stay here by herself any longer. She had to get out.

But according to his promise, Joel wouldn't be gone long.

So neither would she.

"Fuck it." She sighed.

And with that, she made her decision.

She was going to take a chance and get out of the house – even if she didn't make it back first. She had to do _something_ other than sit at home.

Besides, she had her music now.

And that, she thought, was worth it.

Hurrying down the porch steps, she slid her fingers into her jean pockets as she began her aimless walk through town, tucking one hand around her Walkman and the other around her switchblade. As long as she had these two items with her, she could let her mind wander, and protect herself if she had to.

But she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

This was her chance to enjoy life for once, and she didn't want anything to ruin it.

She clicked the play button, the gravel crunching beneath her soles as she awaited whatever song was on the tape to start.

It didn't take long for the familiar tune of a long-since forgotten melody to come pouring into her ears, drowning out any sounds from the real world and, subsequently, from her own mind as well. The music quickly filled her head, leaving only her emerald-green eyes to take in the world around her. But even those weren't focusing as she was already beginning to daydream – her steps beginning to match the rhythm of the sound.

She found herself imagining a live performance of the song, being in an audience of thousands of people in a large concert hall, dancing as it played. She might have never been to a concert, but she knew enough about them to have at least some idea. She momentarily closed her eyes, picturing the band on stage, as if she had a front-row seat to the show.

She could almost see the guitarist playing right in front of her.

As she let her mind wander through this made-up scenario, her body felt lighter; her smile grew wider.

She was finally doing what she wanted to do.

For once, she was doing more than just surviving.

She was _living_.


End file.
